On Wednesday 20th March, the Bibemus gang and their fellow Italophiles gathered together to taste a mountain of Barolo from Monforte d’Alba. Fourteen of them, to be precise. Special international guests included Massimo Benevelli of Piero Benevelli wines and Robert Bava and his daughter Francesca from Cocchi Americano.

By the end of this month however, I will have travelled to Bellingen in northern NSW, to Sydney for an association meeting and the Vino Aperto wine tasting, and finally to Italy. The latter is the most significant travel I will have undertaken in three years, which was in fact the last time I was in Italy.

This year my work is sending my colleague and I on a mission to the annual Vin Italy wine fair held in Verona.

I am excited yet anxious about all the movement ahead.

It won’t be all that bad though. I am taking a week off before the fair commences to: (a) spend a night in Venice on the water, get lost in its narrow streets during the day and have a drink far too early at Harry’s Bar (b) visit all my cousins in Asiago (c) visit friends in Castelfranco Veneto and explore Verona or Padova together

Once I switch over to work-mode, the long hours, mayhem and spritz will begin. So far I have lined up: (a) Lunch at the rice king Gabrielle Ferron’s Pila Vecia mill on the Saturday (b) Dinner with fellow Australian Italian wine importers/friends on the Saturday night (c) Tasting a plethora of regional wines and exploring new producers (d) Dinner with Giuseppe Vajra and his family on the Monday (e) Finally meeting existing suppliers and tasting their new vintages (e) The occasional free evening to allow the opportunity for an unplanned spritz/dinner

After Vin Italy, my colleague and I will hop in a rental car and travel through Lombardia, Piemonte, Liguria and Toscana, meeting at least thirteen of our suppliers in eight days along the way. Now apart from being extremely organised, that is what you call ‘being on a mission’.

I do not think I will be blogging ‘live’ from Vin Italy. Possibly because I fear there will not be time to. However I hope you will forgive this lady as she attends to those aforementioned events and at the end of the day, her all important ‘beauty sleep’.

For most of the people who stumble across this blog, the reference in today’s title may be lost. However if you were a young lass like me in the ’90s, you’d be well aware of this ol’ chestnut and the theme song’s tag line, “Say hello to your friends“. It also inspired this:

Photograph from the 1995 film ‘Baby-Sitters Club’

What is with my infatuation with Brunello di Montalcino of late?

Well there is an event that I am organising with Grossi restaurant’s wine buyer, Mark Protheroe, under the Sommeliers Australia umbrella. We have organised a grand total of twenty-one wines, some of which have come directly from the Brunello Consorzio and are thus unavailable in the country. They all hail from the 2007 vintage and will be available at this one tasting.

Today I present one of the fathers of Langhe winemaking in Piemonte, Italy – Signor Bruno Giacosa. Some might refer to him as a stubborn man; someone who lived by the mantra of doing what tradition displayed to be best for the wine regardless of what trends dictated should be done to sell more. Clearly this philosophy has boasted well for Mr Giacosa. His wines are long-lived, penetrating, and at times, breathtakingly magical. This post is all about the Giacosa estates, coated in lots of love, with a friendly review of his Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d’Alba 2007 at the end. Allora, let’s delve into the mind and world of Mr Giacosa!

Friends

Random Posts

2015 I was cleaning out the cellar at my old workplace a number of months ago and stumbled upon a gem – an old magazine article wrapped in plastic from The Age published April 13th 1982. The writer is David Dunstan and he recounts his experiences shopping in Melbourne wine stores. If only wine stores […]

2014 Not long ago I began receiving RSVP’s to my upcoming wedding. One friend commented to me in person that she would be there ‘with bells on’. The phrase got me thinking…what on earth would it look like to attend a party ‘with bells on’? I decided to resort to my trusty friend, Mr Google. […]

2014 Here are three young Texan lasses called the Ross Sisters, who rose to fame by singing and dancing in the 1940s with a little acrobatics and contortionist action along the way. Enjoy their simple song, ‘Solid potato salad’. It makes your morning stretching routine look somewhat inadequate…

2014 So long, Winter Solstice. Thanks for swingin’ on by. In the week leading up to this darkest night of the year, not all things were doom and gloom on my end and I had many things to be thankful for. For starters, how could you not be thankful for a video clip like this. […]